"Kyungsoo was never one to cry or even throw a tantrum. So after reassessing his current situation, he apologized for the dramatic scene (that nearly woke the entire building) so early in the morning and proceeded to clean up his mess. The sheets were draped across his desk, whose chair was knocked to the side. The closet, once neat and organized, was now a pile of clothes (clean and dirty). Papers and utensils littered the floor (along with his heart). 

The others just watched Kyungsoo pitifully, wishing they could somehow make him smile because the human looked so heartbroken. His eyes grew even larger to accomodate the tears that wouldn't stop falling and his pink nose made him appear even more adorable. 

While Kyungsoo joylessly cooked breakfast (tears spread on toast and eggs of heartache), Baekhyun scolded the three hooligans for not watching Kai. 

"YOU HAD ONE JOB!" he hissed, reveling in the way they flinched at every syllable. My poor Kyungsoo...

"We didn't know he would run away!"

"We were only teasing him."

"And besides, isn't this the original plan?" 

Baekhyun gritted his teeth, lips twitching, while curling and uncurling his fingers (only Chanyeol's warm hand on his back was preventing him from strangling the idiots). "The plan was to separate them so Kyungsoo would forget Jongnin, NOT TO MAKE HIM CRY. Did you see him earlier? He's so heartbroken! That's supposed to be Jongin!!!!! And where is that bastard anyways?! Why the did he leave his precious owner?!

"God, and I was starting to believe he actually loved Kyungsoo...." 

Minseok and Jongdae shared a look that spoke of guilt. They turned to Sehun, whose expression was void of emotion. Baekhyun found this suspicious, but before he could convince Sehun to spill the beans, Chanyeol intervened, beating him to the punch line.

"Baek, calm down. What's more important than yelling at them is figuring out where Jongin is," he glanced at Sehun. "Do you have any idea where he could be?"

"Why are you asking me?" Sehun grumbled. They all gave him a pointed look that said you-know-why. Sehun sighed. "Look, all I know is that Jongin may be absolutely sprung off of the human--like completely, irresistably in love. Maybe." The others didn't comment, still waiting for more information, and so he bit back a condescending remark and continuted. "And he might be on his way to ruin Hyunsik's life? Or some other town in Korea? I don't know? We didn't actually talk because... he's a dog?" They all groaned, anticipation withered. 

It was obvious the dog was attached to his owner. Kyungsoo was just his type as well, because they all knew Jongin's ancestors were children faeries like Sehun and Baekhyun (he just happened to be the black sheep). Maybe he is in love with Kyungsoo or maybe he's just looking for a way to break the curse, but there's no doubt that the two have some connection that they would have trouble breaking. The only problem is that Kyungsoo was in deeper than they thought. But there's just no way he would fall in love with a dog--and that's where the question of Jongin's objective lies. 

Sehun's useless information about where Jongin's feelings lie didn't help them at all; they needed to know where the Jokester was so they could stop the precious human from making those impossibly heart-wrenching faces. And to make sure Jongin doesn't break the curse and kill them all (figuratively... maybe). 

"What?" Sehun shrugged. "He has to still be in South Korea, and he couldn't have gone very far. He's a dog, guys! You're also forgetting that I have concluded that Jongin loves the human; there's no way he could leave. When Jongin is determined, he won't stop until he gets what he wants. We all should know that." 

"Then how do we know if his feelings for Kyungsoo are authentic?" Baekhyun argued. As children faeries, he and Sehun just want Kyungsoo to be happy. Cute things should not cry or be sad. Cute people deserve to be happy. Baekhyun genuinely worried for the human because it's his job to make sure children and other cute creatures were consistently surrounded with love and brightness. Sehun of course shared the same worry, but it was easier for him to believe that Jongin truely wanted to be the person making Kyungsoo happy. 

"Well, if--I mean, when we find him, we'll learn the truth then." Minseok patted Sehun's back. 

They didn't know where to start, so they watched Kyungsoo continuously clean the apartment. He dusted invisible dust in the living room, refolded his laundry twice, made more food so he could wash dishes, and even reorganized the shelf of books, movies, and video games. He even called in sick so he could avoid working, avoid interacting with other people when all he wanted was to be with his family. 

While scrubbing the kitchen floor, Kyungsoo retraced yesterday's events, looking for a reason that could have made Kai feel obligated to leave. He couldn't help but blame himself, but he wanted Kai back now. He admits that he spent a lot of time with Baekhyun's friends simply because they were human and offered to spend time with him. It was nice of Minseok and Sehun to walk him to work, and Jongdae was really funny. Kyungsoo liked having people to talk to because with Kai, he knew the dog couldn't understand; he felt like he was talking to himself. 

It was much easier to be social with Kai around, Kyungsoo realized. That is because Kai gave him this confidence that he didn't have until now. Before they met, Kyungsoo was just a homeless young adult that had no reason to smile, no happiness in his depressing gray existence. Kyungsoo had questioned his existence countless times, but was too much of a coward to act on them. After they met, Kyungsoo was a bright young adult that had the potentional to make friends, get a job and earn money, and restart the life he could never have had. Kai made him feel normal. 

Without Kai, Kyungsoo felt he lost the reason for his existence. While thinking this, he didn't realize that he started crying again.

"Okay, I have had enough of watching you mope around and clean this place to death." Baekhyun pulled him up to his feet. "Wipe those ugly tears off of your pretty face, shower, and put on a new pair of clothes." 

"I don't want to," Kyungsoo pouted. "I want Kai!" 

Baekhyun squeezed his cheek. Jongin was lucky to have this human who was so committed and in love with hi--wait, what? Kyungsoo is definitely not in love with a dog! Nope! "I know you do. You've been whining all day about wanting to see him again. So you know what? We're going out to find him."

Kyungsoo blinked. "R-really?"

"Yes, so what are you waiting for? Get dressed! Wash your face! And please, stop cleaning! I can feel chlorine in my veins." The human scurried to his room, a new bounce in his step. Baekhyun smirked in triumph, but it soon disappeared. 

What if Kyungsoo does like Jongin? I mean, Sehun even said so earlier that he felt something different coming from Kyungsoo when he's around Jongin. He said he felt so much happiness and pride that even he couldn't stop smiling and wanted to swim in the happy heaven. But being happy is different from being in love, right? Man, why does Sehun have the good power? All Baekhyun can do is stop children from crying and feeling sad. To be able to feel other's emotions and change them like Sehun... Baekhyun would be the best children faery ever! 

He bit his lip as he remembered something else. 

"I just--I just love you sooooo much, you know?" Sehun sighed into his phone, hugging a pillow tight to his chest. Baekhyun raised an eyebrow at Minseok and Jongdae, who shrugged and went back to playing a video game with Chanyeol. Boys will be boys who never stop playing video games even when they should be in college or working adult jobs. 

"Sehunnie, are you okay? Did Chanyeol give you drugs?" Luhan's voice somehow reached Baekhyun's ear, so he decided to listen in on their conversation. Maybe he'll hear something embarassing and blackmail Sehun later. "You're only like this when... Have you been accompanying Baekhyun at his job?"

"What? No, why? I've been at their place alllllll day, watching Kyungsoo and Jongin, or Kai or whatever, flirt with each other." There's a short pause where Luhan seems to be taking in the news. 

"Babe?" Sehun hums. "You're usually sappy when you're around kids crushing on each other. You know, because of your skill thing."

"Yeah, and? It's great. Kids never really feel sad, and so I never feel sad around them. One time, this one adorable baby was totally scared because another kid was picking on his sister. I could feel his protectiveness and he was scared that his sister would get hurt. That was just the cutest thing ever, and I stopped the bullying, but it's just great--to feel children's emotions. That way, when they're sad, I can make them happy!"

"I know, babe, you've told me this several times. See? You tend to repeat yourself when you come home and tell me about kids liking each other. You forget about everything else and say really cheesy things and do romantic things, but anyways! Are Minseok and Jongdae falling in love with each other?" 

"That is completely ridiculous. They practice shooting each other. I don't think they are capable of even hugging. They aren't even cute. And they're adults!"

"I know, that's why I stopped asking when Chaneyeol and Baekyeol are near. Well there's got to be someone making you act like this. You don't think Jongin..."

"Ew, Lu, Jongin isn't even cute. He's a dirty, stinky, dog!"

"Well it can't be Kyungsoo!" Sehun remained silent. Baekhyun watched him look around the room, and when their eyes came into contact, he feigned innocence. Feeling relatively sure that he wasn't being eavesdropped on, Sehun left the living room. Baekhyun followed him to the hallway.

"Okay, so maybe I lied. I'm positive Jongin is in love with Kyungsoo--it's really cute. He gets super happy and his tail wags a lot. Anyways, the reason why I can't really say this around the others is because I also felt something from Kyungsoo... and it's sort of the same as what's coming from Jongin."

"Sort of? Sehun, you are not making any sense. Are you trying to tell me Kyungsoo likes Jongin, the dog Jongin?" 

"He calls him Kai, but yeah. Well, maybe not totally 'yeah,' but something similar. It's not really the same. I think Kyungsoo just thinks of Kai as family, but you know, he makes me miss you and want to hug you all the time, so I can't really say."

Baekhyun smiled weakly at Kyungsoo, who was dragging him and everyone outside. He felt mean when inside he hoped that Kyungsoo only loved Kai as family. If Kai is turned back to normal, how would he treat the human? How could Baekhyun face the human is something terrible were to happen? 

Kyungsoo searched all the places he and Kai have visited. He looked around pet stores, neighborhoods with parks, and fast food places. Has he eaten yet? Is he cold? Does he miss him? When Kyungsoo suggested they visisted his old home, the alley, Baekhyun knew he had to stop him there. 

"Maybe we can try again tomorrow." 

The human's eyes were becoming glossy again, and he refused to look any of them in the eye. Sehun heard Minseok and Jongdae snickering and touched his face to find tears. "Damnit Jongin, where the hell are you? You're hurting the human! Jesus, I'm already dating Luhan, what makes him think I would actually try to steal his human...." 

"But... but he's got to be here, Baekhyun hyung. Or he's got to be there. He has to be somewhere! I have to find him. I have to make things right between us. I have to apologize and ask for his forgiveness." 

"Kyungsoo, Kai is a dog." Jongdae gripped his shoulder. Leave it to him to give the bad news and crush childrens' dreams. "I don't think he understands what you're feeling." Baekhyun wanted to smack his ugly face, but then Kyungsoo wiped his tears and turned to the ugly buttface. 

"Jongdae hyung, I know you probably think I'm a freak, but that only makes me want to see him more and tell him what I'm feeling. I hate this!" He frowned, which was cute and sad and everyone wanted to hug the sweet human (goddamnit jongin why are you so lucky), and looked up to see their reactions. 

"Hey, we haven't checked one place yet. There's a slim chance Kai could be there, because he probably doesn't even like anyone there, but we could try." He ruffled the human's hair. "Lead us the way to SM Charms and Collectibles, Kyungsoo."

~~~~~

"[[Sooooo, he's here.]]" Yifan repeated. 

Yixing groaned in frustration. "[[No, he is aroiund here. His gang was here. I don't know why. I'm going to need Minseok and Jongdae look that up. They're the policemen.]]" 

"[[Want Zitao to get you a spell? We can find him easily.]]" 

"[[No, I want to surprise Junmyeon. I want to learn all of his dirty little secrets and use them against him. I just need a little more time. Besdies, Luhan says he has a lot of errands to run. The King was more than happen to let him do them. Now I have more time to observe that jerk and an even easier way to contact him.]]" Yixing snorted because while Luhan was supposed to be getting information, he was busy hiding from taking care of Jongin with Zitao. 

Yifan raised an eyebrow. "[[What exactly did he do to you? All I know is that you two never liked each other, and then he was exiled. Did you have something to do with it?]]" A shriek could be heard from the shop, which he took as Kai causing trouble again. Why did he even come here so early in the morning and stay?

Yixing thumbed through another old textbook, pausing briefly to sip Zitao's tea. He was instantly calmed. The stress from trying to locate Junmyeon and even find true facts about him was taking a toll on his health. He didn't realize that he was running out of remedies and treatment back at his hospital. This book was truly helpful in reminding him the few elixirs he couldn't quite recall how were made. "[[Let's just say he's a big jerk. It would be too easy of a punishment for me to find him and beat him up. I need something that will crush his ugly face, make him kneel in front of me and beg for mercy.]]" 

They both flinched when a crash was heard. 

"[[And besides, Junmyeon wasn't exiled. He's on the run actually. Minseok and Jongdae have been keeping the case confidential because the King is embarassed that he couldn't contain him.]]"

"[[Like what he did to Jongin?]]" 

Yixing sighed. "[[Exactly. Anyways, I'm only telling you this because I need your creepy cousins to help me keep an eye on him. Will you help me?]]"

"[[Of course. After we save Zitao and Luhan from Jongin. Let's go.]]" Yixing bookmarked his place in the textbook, then followed Yifan towards the human world. On the other side of the curtain, he immediately felt his chest tighten. It's going to take him a while to get used to human oxygen. 

"Jongin, didn't I tell you to be nice?" Yifan placed a hand on his hip. Zitao and Luhan scrambled behind him, both simultaneously yelling what atrocities Jongin threatened. "Shouldn't you be at home with Kyungsoo?" 

The dog dropped his stiff act. He covered his eyes with his paws. "What happened? Please don't tell me you ran away." There was a whimper. 

Luhan mouthed "what the heck" to Zitao, who rolled his eyes and replied with "see?!" Earlier, he claimed that Jongin and Yifan were actually friendly with each other. It wasn't like they hated Jongin--they were more afraid of him. Jongin's little pranks were funny until they started to become.... 

"Do you know how much the human cares for you? Kyungsoo loves you so much." The others perked up at this. What? The human loves Jongin? Then... the curse...? "You're his only family. Wasn't he the first person to take you in? Man, he fed you and kept you warm at night. Is this how you're going to repay him?" 

Jongin barked, and it took Yifan some time to understand. Judging from the circumstances, he figured it had something to do with the appearance of the others. "Is it Sehun, Minseok, and Jongdae? Were they making you jealous?" Luhan punched his back, hissing at him to stop because that was their plan and Yifan you better not tell Jongin or the King will wring my neck! "Is that it? You were jealous and you left, thinking Kyungsoo would be soooo much better of without you." 

Yifan held a strong gaze with the dog, with Jongin. He wanted to understand. He wanted Jongin to know that he didn't think of him as just a dog. He knew who was inside. Inside was his friend. Not the Jokester, but his friend. "Well you're wrong. You want to know why? Because of this." 

Next thing they knew, the bell was ringing and Kyungsoo was before them. 

"Kai?" Kyungsoo's voice cracked. He wasn't sure if he should go to him or if he should wait for Kai to come to him? What if... what if Kai didn't want him anymore? What if Kai ran away because he never wanted to see him again? He felt his heart sinking and tears welling up in his eyes.

Jongin took one look at his beautiful owner (red eyes, pink nose, terrible bed hair (at 5pm????), dejected look, and all), and froze. He took in the tears, Kyungsoo's hesistance, the hurt in his eyes when he didn't immediately come to him, and wasted no time in jumping off the counter and running into his arms. 

"Kai!" Kyungsoo cried, squeezing him tightly against his torso. "Oh my god, Kai! So this is where you've been all along! Why did you leave me?" he whined, more tears falling uncontrollably. 

The rest gulped, half 'aw'-ing half ''-ing. This situation just got stickier.